New standard for hospitals on reporting adverse drug reactions released today

Standard will be supported by marketing activities to boost reporting by
health professionals

OTTAWA, Jan. 30, 2013 /CNW/ - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of
Health, today congratulated Accreditation Canada on including, for the
first time, guidance on the reporting of adverse drug reactions in its
latest Medication Management Standards for health care facilities,
including hospitals.

"Our Government is committed to protecting the health and safety of
Canadians," said Minister Aglukkaq. "This initiative supports Health
Canada's ongoing efforts to increase the quality and quantity of
adverse reaction reports, an important part of our drug safety
monitoring system."

As part of a certification process, Accreditation Canada evaluates the
performance of its clients against national standards of excellence.
These standards examine all aspects of health care, from patient safety
and ethics, to staff training and partnering with the community. The
new adverse reaction reporting component of the new standards was
commissioned by Health Canada.

Accreditation Canada's Medication Management Standards are now available
to more than 700 client organizations, including 143 hospitals and
other acute care facilities, and other facilities including long-term
care, home care and aboriginal health services.

The adverse reaction reporting component provides guidance on issues
such as how to report patients' adverse reactions to drugs, and who is
responsible for reporting them. The standards will encourage
consistency in reporting practices and will strengthen and complement
any reporting systems already in place.

This new standard will also complement Health Canada's ongoing efforts
to promote adverse reaction reporting, including marketing activities
aimed at health professionals in Canada. These activities provide
information on how to report adverse reactions to drugs and other
health products, why it's important to do so, and how to stay up to
date on new safety information.

Starting next month, Health Canada will place notices in selected health
professional journals and will distribute adverse reaction reporting
forms with instructions to selected health associations, physicians and
pharmacists, and facilities.

Adverse reaction reporting is an important source of data Health Canada
uses to identify potential safety problems with marketed health
products. Other sources include peer-reviewed scientific studies and
information from drug manufacturers and international regulatory
agencies.

The new reporting standard stems from Health Canada's consultations with
provinces and territories, health professionals, industry, and the
Canadian public regarding ways to address the under-reporting of
adverse drug reactions in Canada. Much feedback, particularly from
provinces and health professional associations, supported the
development of a hospital-based adverse reaction reporting standard as
an alternative to a legislative requirement.

Health care professionals and organizations can contact Accreditation Canada for more information on the new standards.